In merging social studies education with language arts, classroom teachers are utilizing selections of historical fiction to teach critical literacy skills while also meeting social studies standards. While most of the selections used for teaching history and social studies themes are strong in terms of literary merit, they may be deficient in…

Planning ideas and follow-up activities are described for a reciprocal exchange program between groups of 5th and 6th grade students in Manitoba who are "twinned" with another school in the province. Emphasis is on providing learning experiences which help students become familiar with the economic activity in the area, with the local government…

Materials are provided for a unit of study that will help high school students learn about the life of Louis Riel, who as the leader of the Canadian Rebellion of 1885 led his followers into armed conflict with the Canadian government. Riel lived at a time of rapid change in western Canada. The extinction of the buffalo ended the people's nomadic…

This book for social studies students from grades 8 through the early college years will aid them to identify primary and secondary sources of history and to inquire into what really happened in the past, and why. This enables students to get away from merely reading what several authors wrote about historical events or listening to how a few…

The principles of Benjamin Bloom's "Taxonomy of Education Objectives" for the cognitive domain are followed in the development of this independent study unit. The sequence uses the Egyptian Rossetta Stone as the common knowledge base and illustrates how the six principles of the taxonomy of the cognitive domain can be applied to the design of a…

Discusses the use of a "crankie," a simple story device made from a cardboard box, in studying women's history in the high school classroom. Presents an example of a crankie story which focuses on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery (Alabama) bus boycott. Describes an evaluation process and assesses the activity's instructional value. (GEA)

In history classes, each student should (1) be encouraged to learn about his or her own past, and (2) be actively involved in the process of learning. For example, students can be asked to find out every thing they can that was going on the day they were born. (RM)

Activities to help sixth graders experience Greek culture are presented. In the first activity the students learn about the mythology and work and leisure of the ancient Greeks; the second activity involves students in cooking many Greek dishes. (RM)

This teaching unit, "Settlement Unit,"which focuses on the settlement of Alabama's land, is the second in a series of 10 units about Alabama state history, part of a project designed to help teachers integrate the use of primary source materials into their classrooms. Although the units are designed to augment the study of Alabama, they…

This paper presents preliminary results from a five year longitudinal study on the efficacy of integrating museum resources into elementary and middle school curricula through educational outreach activities, over the Internet and in the classroom. From 1997 to 2003, museum educators at the University of Illinois' Spurlock Museum have explored how…

Twenty-three classroom projects are suggested, involving use of: (1) poetry and other language arts skills; (2) basketball terminology; (3) Thanksgiving themes; (4) history and geography; and (5) bulletin board ideas. (PP)

Describes a Florida high school teacher's efforts to combine multiple-intelligences theory with project-based learning in her U.S. history classes. Beginning each year with get-acquainted and personal-inventory activities, students tackle research projects on certain aspects of the Expansion Era in U.S. history and present findings to classmates.…

Argues that the experiences of U.S. women in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries may be uncovered through the colorful legacy of quilts. Outlines the teacher's task in integrating the study of quilts into the curriculum. Presents an imaginary scenario that illustrates the types of comments one might encounter in a classroom…

Illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of oral histories through an oral history assignment that helps students understand the impact of the Vietnam War on the "Vietnam generation." Suggests introductory materials and lists exemplar interview questions for students to use in interviewing soldiers who were on active duty and those who…

Contends that introducing elementary students to history concepts is difficult because they have few reference points for comprehending change over time. Discusses the use of buttons for an inquiry-based activity designed to heighten student interest and learning. (CFR)